Your best mate and your sister
by No Pretence
Summary: Snapshots detailing Harry and Ginny's relationship through Ron's eyes, through the good times and the bad over the years. Also follows Ron's feelings on the two of them being together, and how he handles it. Not related to any of my other works. JKR owns.
1. Happy

**A/N: So this is the 1st one. These are snapshots of Harry and Ginny's relationship through Ron's eyes. I made an attempt at getting Ron's character right, and I hope it's ok. These are short, and will be written whenever I feel like it, surrounding or while I'm writing other projects. They are also unconnected to any of my other HP work. Please review when you've finished reading, any feedback at all is much appreciated.**

It was an early Saturday morning at the Burrow, late enough that we were all out of bed, early enough for Mum to still be cooking never-ending rounds of egg and bacon. I was just helping myself to my third helping of scrambled eggs, Hermione glancing disgustedly at me from across the table, although there was an amused glint in her eye; when Harry came downstairs and into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes from behind his glasses, his hair messier than ever in its just-out-of-bed state.

Ginny who had been chasing the last of her eggs around her plate with her fork, jumped up, smiling, and moved to hug him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. I frowned a bit at this public display of affection, although I was pleased they weren't openly snogging. Ginny looked up at him, then across at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Then, she reached up and slowly kissed him on the lips. He responded gently, though pulled away sooner than she looked like she wanted to. Harry gestured to the their company, Hermione, George and I around the table, Mum enchanting the frying pan to cook yet another batch of bacon. Ginny frowned slightly, but entwined her fingers in his and pulled him into the seat next to hers.

Harry glanced up and around at as all, and mumbled a general good morning in our direction. He caught my eye, a strange lopsided grin on his face. He was happy. Happier than I'd ever seen him before. He was free of all problems, free of being the hunter and the hunted, free of most of his guilt now the funerals were over. He was Harry. And, watching them, I knew that Ginny made him happy. And he made her happy too, that was obvious. And Harry needed happiness right now.

I watched them all through that morning, at breakfast, when the four of us took a walk through the fields surrounding the Burrow. I watched them talking and laughing, how Harry held the door open for her, made sure she was alright before continuing with what they were doing. I watched their entwined fingers and quick stolen kisses when they thought I wasn't looking. Hermione was watching me watching them, because as we were walking, her fingers wrapped around mine she said "He loves her you know."

"What?"

"Harry."

"Yeah," I huffed slightly.

"Ron," Hermione chided gently.

"Yeah?"

"They make each other happy. I know Harry's your best friend and Ginny's your sister, but he'd never hurt her. He wouldn't dare, because he cares about your friendship too much."

"I know, Hermione. But…"

" You want to hex him into oblivion but at the same time you want to be there for him, and still want him to be your best friend," she sounded amused by it "I know."

"Yeah. Something like that."

And although I wanted to hex Harry into oblivion and back whenever he was with my sister, watching their smiles, hearing them talk and laugh, catching Harry's eye in those unguarded moments, no one could really say that they weren't happy.


	2. At the funeral

It was the final funeral after the war. The last and the hardest. Fred's. I looked in the mirror, at the black suit and tie, the white shirt, the tear stains down my cheeks. I looked a bloody mess, to be honest. But I missed him. He'd been my brother.

There was a knock at the door. I rubbed at my cheeks furiously, and called "Come in."

I'd expected it to be Hermione, or one of my siblings, but Harry stepped into the room, looking awkward.

"Er…." He took a deep breath "I'm sorry mate. About Fred."

"Harry, It wasn't your fault," I sighed for the hundredth time in the past two weeks. Ever since the final battle Harry had felt guilty for Fred's death, saying it was all his fault. He'd felt guilty for the deaths of everyone who'd died that night, but even more for Fred because he was, so to speak 'part of the family'. "Fred died fighting for what he believed in. He'd have wanted to go that way."

"I know. But it doesn't change what happened. And I know this isn't going to be easy for you, for any of your family."

I grunted a non-committal answer. I didn't really want to talk about my feelings, especially with Harry.

He gave a jerk of his head and mumbled "Sorry," again before turning and leaving the room.

***

The funeral was quiet and sober. I barely heard the words the little wizard performing the burial was saying, whatever they were, they had nothing to do with Fred. I squeezed Hermione's hand tightly as she cried into my shoulder. George and Mum seemed to be propping each other up, both sobbing. Dad had his arm around Mum's waist, blinking back tears. I looked around at all my other brothers, crying silently. And then my gaze finally came to rest on them. Through my tears I watched them. Ginny was crying into Harry's chest, his arms wrapped around her as she turned her head away from the scene. He held her tightly, as though letting go of her meant loosing her. He wasn't crying, just staring blankly ahead into space, his face full of pain and anger.

As the funeral ended Harry finally released her, and held her at arms length as he asked her something that I couldn't hear. Ginny's flame hair bounced up and down as she nodded. They turned and began to walk to wards the rest of the group, away from the grave, but at a slower pace to everyone else. I slowed, and waited, I wanted to make sure that Ginny was ok, but Hermione pulled me onwards firmly. "He'll take care of her," she soothed. "They need each other right now. Leave them to it."

And so I let Hermione drag me away, though I was still listening for bits of their conversation that I might overhear. Our pace had slowed and theirs had quickened slightly, so that the gap was smaller. And fragments of conversation did drift towards me as they walked.

"Why do I care? I only loose what I care about."

"Because by not caring, he's still won Harry. You wouldn't have done this if you didn't care about people. And people care about you. We do. I do."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

And listening to Ginny right Harry and console him, and get angry at him, I knew that they did.


	3. Crying

Harry was crying.

I hadn't seen him cry since… well since Sirius had died. And now all the funerals were over and Harry was crying. And I didn't know what to do. I wasn't good at dealing with sad situations like that. It was normally girls who cried, wasn't it?

So I went and did the only thing I could think of, and knocked on Ginny's door. Ginny opened it, Hermione behind her.

"Harry's crying."

Ginny darted past me and up the next flight of stairs before we had said anything more. Hermione looked at me knowingly.

"What?"

"I'm not surprised."

"That I don't know something you do? Because if you were I'd be surprised too. Unless you meant about Harry."

"I meant about Harry."

"Oh."

"Well it isn't surprising, is it Ron? When was the last time Harry cried? When was the last time he grieved – for his parents? For everyone he lost? When was the last time Harry properly let it all out? He's so busy worrying about everybody else's feelings that he doesn't think about his own."

I stared at Hermione, not sure what to say. That girl knows too much, I swear. But I love her for it.

She smiled, and I took her hand as we made our way up the next flight of stairs.

Harry was sitting on his bed in my room, his head on his knees, which were drawn up to his chest. Ginny was rocking him backwards and forwards like a child, her arms wrapped around him, her head on top of his. Harry looked up as we entered his face blotchy, dry tear tracks down her cheeks. Ginny kissed the top of his head and stopped rocking, her grip slackening slightly. Harry gave a funny forced grin. And shook his head like a dazed child. We just looked at them, I was unable to speak or move and Hermione next to me seemed the same. He made to stand up, though her hand on his arm held him back. Harry murmured "I'm fine Ginny. I'll be fine." My sister nodded and released him. He took her hand as she too stood, and nodded towards us. "Thank you."

I watched them go out of the door – my best mate, lost with grief and my sister, the only one who seemed able to comfort him.

**A/N: Short and Sweet (I hope!). My first update in a while. I realise these aren't in chronological order, so I hope you'll be able to keep up with the time jumps. Tried to put a bit of R/H in as well as H/G, though I'm not sure it worked to well, what do you think? Enjoy and any chance of a review???**


	4. Questions

**A/N: Okay, it's been a long, long while since i've been of . I didn't expect to go on Hiatus, but life got in the way. Anyway, here's the next one, again not in chronological order. I hope you think it's ok...**

Questions

"Ron?"

I looked up to find Harry in front of me. I hadn't heard him come in, but he was here.

"Hi mate."

"Hi." He frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Er…"

And then I saw it. That look. The one he wears when he talks about my sister. "This is about Ginny isn't it? You've got that look again."

"W-what? I-I…" What was making him so jumpy? He could fight dark wizards, but Harry had never been able to talk about or to girls easily.

"Ginny?" I prompted.

"Yeah."

"So?" What in the name of Merlin was wrong? I know I've never been 100% behind my best mate dating my little sister, but when they've been going out for 4 years, you have to accept some things, even if it is grudgingly.

Harry didn't say anything, and suddenly seemed to find the floor very interesting. If it was that bad, there was only one possibility.

"Bloody hell."

"What?" He looked up.

"You got her pregnant? You got my little sister pregnant?" I suddenly didn't care that he was my best mate, he had hurt my sister and he was going to pay for it. I stood up.

"No, no! Ron no!" Harry shook his head and put his hands out in front of him to protect himself. I stopped. "I want to ask Ginny to marry me!"

"What?"

"I want to ask her to marry me," he said quickly "Only I wanted your approval first, 'cause you're my best mate and her brother and well… it didn't seem right not to, and…" Harry trailed off, looking hopeless and worried, his eyebrows set in a frown. He was scared I'd say no, I realised suddenly.

There were a million things I wanted to say, I wanted to feel happy and sad and angry at the same time. Yet all I could say was "Have you asked Dad?"

"Of course. I would never have come to you, or asked Ginny if he'd said no."

"Really?"

"Your family means a lot Ron. I wouldn't want to upset them."

I nodded. They were like Harry's family too, I realised. We would be family, when Ginny said yes. I knew she was going to say yes, even if Harry didn't. He hadn't been there for most of the 'Harry Potter is a super hero' years.

"So what do you think?" He asked nervously.

"That's great mate," I smiled eventually. "I know you'll take care of her. She'll be so happy. And Mum will too. They've been dreaming about this forever."

Harry nodded solemnly, and then without really knowing what I was doing I stepped around my desk and we hugged briefly before pulling away again. We stood awkwardly for a while before Harry said "Well I s'pose I'd better go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"Thanks Ron. It means a lot." He grinned goofily.

"You've got a big day tomorrow mate."

I stood watching him after he'd gone, secretly pleased. It looked like Ginny's dreams were going to come true at last.


End file.
